Group Says Russia Now at 'Not Free' Status

[FreeCajun]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041...

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Freedom House noted increased Kremlin control over national television and other media, limitations on local government, and parliamentary and presidential elections it said were neither free nor fair.


"Russia's step backward into the 'Not Free' category is the culmination of a growing trend under President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) to concentrate political authority, harass and intimidate the media, and politicize the country's law-enforcement system," Executive Director Jennifer Windsor said in a statement.


"These moves mark a dangerous and disturbing drift toward authoritarianism in Russia, made more worrisome by President Putin's recent heavy-handed meddling in political developments in neighboring countries, such as Ukraine."


The report accused Putin of exploiting the terrorist seizure of a school in southern Russia to ram through what Freedom House called the dismantling of local authority.

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Hmmm... sound familiar?

[regularjoe]

1. No surprise. eom/

[Tab]

2. Duplicate

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